GHSA-72r4-9c5j-mj57: pnpm `patch-remove` Could Delete Project-selected Files Vulnerability

{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-72r4-9c5j-mj57",
  "modified" : "2026-06-27T00:12:39Z",
  "published" : "2026-06-27T00:12:39Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "pnpm: `patch-remove` could delete project-selected files outside the patches directory",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nThe `patch-remove` deletion-scope issue tracked as GHSA-72r4-9c5j-mj57 / CAND-PNPM-030 has been addressed in pnpm.\n\nA crafted patch entry could resolve outside the configured patches directory and cause `pnpm patch-remove` to delete an arbitrary reachable file. This patch validates the configured directory and every resolved target before unlinking anything, then deletes the final directory entry without following it.\n\n## Security boundary\n\n- Traversal and absolute paths that resolve outside the configured patches directory are rejected before deletion.\n- Parent directories are canonicalized before deletion, including the case where a nested symlink points outside and the final outside entry is itself dangling.\n- The complete batch is validated before any file is removed.\n- Component-aware predicates accept valid names beginning with `..` while still rejecting parent traversal, Windows drive escapes, and UNC escapes.\n- Valid files and symlinked patch directories whose canonical targets remain below the lockfile directory continue to work.\n- A final symlink inside a valid patch directory is unlinked without following its target, including when the target is outside or dangling.\n\n## Exploit replay\n\nBefore the patch, a workspace `patchedDependencies` path that resolved outside the project caused `pnpm patch-remove` to delete the external sentinel. A second replay used a nested parent symlink and a dangling outside victim: `realpath()` returned `ENOENT`, yet the victim was still removed. With this patch, both paths are rejected and the outside entries remain intact.\n\n## Files changed\n\n- `patching/commands/src/isSubdirectory.ts` performs component-aware containment checks.\n- `patching/commands/src/patchRemove.ts` validates the full batch, canonicalizes parents, and unlinks final entries without following them.\n- `patching/commands/test/{isSubdirectory,patchRemove}.test.ts` covers traversal, nested symlinks, dangling victims, and valid removals.\n\n## Commands run\n\n```text\n$ pnpm --filter @pnpm/patching.commands test test/isSubdirectory.test.ts test/patchRemove.test.ts\nPASS: 11 tests across 2 suites\n$ pnpm --filter @pnpm/patching.commands run compile\nPASS\n$ git diff --check\nPASS\n```\n\n## Validation\n\n- Focused handler and path-predicate suites: 11 passed across 2 suites.\n- Package-wide ESLint: passed.\n- Package TypeScript build: passed.\n- Commit hooks, Commitlint, and `git diff --check`: passed.\n- The broader integration harness was environment-blocked because it writes outside the available temporary root; focused handler tests used `/private/tmp`.\n\n## Patches\n\n`10.34.4`: https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/352ae489f1b14ffdc19d2c6eacb1b06b098c2ddc\n`11.7.0`: https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/612a2e6a7333f2b061f452a21b6e62c1c161747f\n\n## Compatibility\n\nMissing patch files remain no-ops. Valid symlinked patch directories continue to work when their canonical target stays inside the lockfile directory, and final symlinks are removed without touching their targets. `patch-remove` is not yet in pacquet's command surface, so no Rust-side parity change is required.\n\n## Remaining risk\n\nPortable Node APIs do not expose directory-fd-relative `unlinkat()`. A local attacker who can replace an already validated parent directory before the unlink may still win a time-of-check/time-of-use race. The reproduced repository-controlled traversal and symlink paths do not require that concurrent capability and are blocked by this patch.\n\n---\nWritten by an agent (Codex, GPT-5).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "pnpm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "10.34.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "pnpm"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "11.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "11.7.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/security/advisories/GHSA-72r4-9c5j-mj57"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/612a2e6a7333f2b061f452a21b6e62c1c161747f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pnpm/pnpm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://github.com/pnpm/pnpm/commit/352ae489f1b14ffdc19d2c6eacb1b06b098c2ddc"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-73" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-06-27T00:12:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}